SC imposes fine of ₹20 lakh on West Bengal govt for ‘virtual ban’ on film ‘Bhobishyoter Bhoot’

  • The Supreme Court imposed a fine of ₹20 lakh on the West Bengal government for imposing a “virtual” ban on the public screening of the satirical film “Bhobishyoter Bhoot” in the State.
  • The film revolves around a group of ghosts, including a politician, who assemble at a refugee camp and try to be relevant in contemporary times.
  • A Bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the fine amount of ₹ 20 lakh shall be given to producers and cinema hall owners as compensation

“Deeply Regret Jallianwala Bagh”: British PM Theresa May in Parliament

  • British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919 as a “shameful scar” on British Indian history but stopped short of a formal apology sought by a cross-section of parliament in previous debates.
  • The April 13, 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which British troops opened fire on thousands of unarmed protesters, remains an enduring scar from British colonial rule in India.

European Union offers Britain six-month delay to Brexit date

  • European leaders offered Britain a six-month delay to its Brexit departure Thursday, apparently saving the continent from a chaotic no-deal departure at the end of the week.
  • Most of the 27 European leaders gathered in Brussels, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, had backed a plan for Brexit to be postponed for up to a year.

First ever image of a Black Hole captured by astronomers

  • Astronomers on Wednesday unveiled the first photo of a black hole, one of the star-devouring monsters scattered throughout the Universe and obscured by impenetrable shields of gravity.
  • The image of a dark core with a flame-orange halo of gas and plasma shows a super massive black hole 50 million light years away in a galaxy known as M87, they announced during simultaneous press conferences in Brussels, Shanghai, Tokyo, Washington, Santiago and Taipei.

Canada set to make special visa scheme permanent, Indians likely to benefit

  • Indians who aspire to work and settle overseas, have a reason to cheer now. Canada is set to make the Global Talent Stream (GTS) programme, which offers a hassle-free and quick route to work in the country, a permanent scheme.
  • Indians having a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) background, are set to gain the most out of this.

New species of ancient human discovered in Philippines

  • The human family tree has acquired a new branch with the unearthing of a previously unknown species of human that lived on an island in today’s Philippines some 50,000 years ago.
  • The species, dubbed Homo luzonensis after the island of Luzon where its remains were found, is not a direct ancestor of modern day humans, but rather a distant ancient relative.